The Phantom of Konoha
by Phoenix of Eternity
Summary: [AU] Five years ago, all but one member of the Uchiha Clan was killed. Refusing to speak about that night, he disappeared. Now things are stirring in Konoha, and old mysteries are resurfacing in the aftermath of Orochimaru's attack. [ON HOLD]
1. The Uchiha Slaughter

Disclaimer: _Naruto_ belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. _The Phantom of the Opera_, which inspired a great deal of this story line, belongs to Gaston Leroux. There's no way I'm making money from this and absolutely no way I'm affiliated with the creative process of these series/books.

Important note: This is an AU story. Consequently, restructuring of the plotline was necessary. Chances are if there's something that doesn't match up with canon, it's probably meant to be that way. If you don't think so, please, leave me a kind note. Also, please see author's notes at end of chapter. _Edited June 16, 2005_ _for slight diction difficulties._

The Phantom of Konoha

Prologue: The Uchiha Slaughter

It was the fire that alerted patrolling ANBU members that something was seriously wrong.

They sped toward the flames, several blocks away, darting from rooftop to rooftop. For the fire to be seen from such a distance away meant one of two things: either the blaze had gotten out of control or no one had noticed it yet.

The last was absurd, of course, for as the team got closer, Hatake Kakashi realized that the fire was within the Uchiha Clan's compound. That was a bit of a surprise, considering how many of that clan specialized in fire jutsu. Kakashi signaled to one of his teammates, who peeled away from the group to alert the Mizuno Clan. It was the responsibility of that clan to put out fires that broke out in or around Konoha, and it looked like the ANBU squad would need their help as none of the team had much strength in water jutsu.

The light from the full moon illuminated the rooftops, making it unnecessary for Kakashi to pay much attention to his footing as he and his remaining two teammates bounded through the night. Kakashi began to feel uneasy as he neared the Uchiha compound. Only one house was in flames so far, but it wasn't going to take them much longer to spread. Why hadn't an alarm gone up already? Surely someone in Konoha's strongest clan would have noticed the blaze long before it drew an ANBU squad's attention.

Kakashi's signal to stop was sudden. The three ANBU members landed lightly on the gates of the Uchiha compound. "Taro."

She turned her face toward him, her cat-mask reflecting the moonlight. A quick nod and Taro focused on the Uchiha compound, the buildings glinting under the moonlight, shadows dancing in the firelight. Seconds later she snapped her head toward Kakashi. "I can't sense anyone in the compound."

"Anyone?" Kakashi reached into his leg pouch and drew out a kunai. The other two did the same.

"No one in my range," she confirmed. Taro had one of the strongest sensing ranges in Konoha.

Thoughts darted through Kakashi's mind, scenarios whirling furiously, each more grim than the last. "Saito," Kakashi ordered in a low voice, "go to Sandaime and tell him what's going on. Then get another squad."

Saito disappeared. Kakashi and Taro leapt from the gate and sped for the middle of the compound and the fire, senses alert for any sign of danger.

Instead of danger, they found death.

They stopped at the first group of bodies. Kunai and shuriken were embedded in corpses and buildings alike. The ground was soggy, but not from rain. Taro shook her head; they were all dead. The duo kept going, listening for the human sounds that were absent, straining to sense the presence of people who should be alive but weren't. Bodies sprinkled the streets, broken glass caught the moonlight.

Taro signaled that she sensed someone. They stopped instantly. _Just one_ her next hand signal said, and then she pointed just to the west of the fire. The two ANBU members split to encircle the unknown presence.

Kakashi crept toward the target which was finally within his own sensing range. Whoever it was wasn't moving. He edged around a corner, ready to let his kunai fly, but stopped at the last instant. Sitting in plain sight was a little boy.

Kakashi moved forward cautiously nevertheless. The little boy was kneeling as if in prayer with both hands pressed to the ground supporting his slumped-forward body. His black hair concealed his face. In the light of the burning house the jounin could easily see the wound on the boy's left arm. It wasn't until Kakashi was a few steps away that the little boy noticed him.

A sudden jerk and the boy pushed himself to his feet. Terrified eyes and a tear-streaked face stared at Kakashi and the kunai in his hand. The boy took several stumbling backward steps and then turned around to run off, but Taro appeared behind him and caught him. He writhed in her grasp. "Let me go!"

Taro simply held on to him, until, with a suddenness that was disturbing, the child fell limp in her arms. She picked him up and moved next to Kakashi.

"It's the house of the head of Uchiha Clan," Kakashi said quietly. This close to the fire the heat was strong enough for him to sweat, making the ANBU mask rather uncomfortable. What was left of the house was barely discernable through the blaze. As they watched, the western wall collapsed, sending the two jounin hurtling backward to avoid the flaming debris.

As if the collapsing of the wall had been a summons of its own, the first members of the Mizuno Clan showed up. While they were busy extinguishing the fire, Saito returned with another ANBU squad and reported that Sandaime was assembling the rest of the ANBU and jounin to search Konoha and the surrounding area for any strangers. Kakashi was to lead the two ANBU squads to search for any survivors.

By daybreak the Uchiha compound was covered in water, blood, and corpses. The only survivor, Uchiha Sasuke, was placed in the hospital to recover from his wound and shock. The bodies of Sasuke's mother, father, and brother were missing, presumably in the fire that destroyed their house.

Although Sasuke was the only witness to what happened that night, he refused to speak. A few of the medical ninjas suggested that the boy's shock had repressed the memories, but that was difficult to discern as the boy never spoke in their presence.

The weeks went by, and Sasuke still refused to speak. He attended Academy classes, but there the children were frightened of him. Rumors began to circulate high and low through Konoha. Words were whispered here and there among the adults that perhaps the village had yet another demon-child on its hands. A demon-child that was much worse, because while the Kyuubi had attacked the village, at least _he_ hadn't slaughtered an entire clan.

The cold eyes and scared children were just as difficult to miss as Sasuke's silence on the whole affair. Two months after Sasuke was found next to his burning house, he disappeared.

_Author's Notes—_

_The Phantom of Konoha was originally conceived by Lazarus, a good friend of mine. The plan was for the two of us to do a doujinshi together (Lazarus drawing while I did the script). However, I've never done script format before. The two of us discussed our plans, and we decided that I would do the story in prose form and that later she'd go back through and use what I wrote to draw as it's easier for her to envision the setting and action if it's laid out in prose form._

_That being said, most of the plot is of my creation—Lazarus told me what elements of _The Phantom of the Opera_ she wanted to include and then told me to come up with the plot. However, the two of us bounce ideas off each other so much that I'm afraid I can't really point out which specific part was whose idea. From time to time Lazarus might pop up and add something in these author's notes. A great deal of thanks must be extended to yourfavoriteperson and Kilerkki who were willing to check this over._

_If you have the time, please leave a review. Praise is nice and constructive criticism/praise is even better._

_-Phoenix_


	2. Sound of Destruction

Disclaimer: _Naruto_ belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. _The Phantom of the Opera_, which inspired a great deal of this story line, belongs to Gaston Leroux. There's no way I'm making money from this and absolutely no way I'm affiliated with the creative process of these series/books.

Important note: This is an AU story. Consequently, restructuring of the plotline was necessary. Chances are if there's something that doesn't match up with canon, it's probably meant to be that way. If you don't think so, please, leave me a kind note. Also, please see author's notes at end of chapter. _Revised March 15, 2005 because of complaints that the beginning was difficult to follow.__ Hopefully, it makes better sense now._

-

The Phantom of Konoha

Chapter One: Sound of Destruction

-

"_Kai!_"

-

"Sakura, please stay where you are for a moment. I'm going to reduce the number of enemies."

-

"What's going on?"

"Lee, go after them. Make yourself useful to Konoha. Stop Gaara."

"Sir!"

-

"Sakura, dispel the genjutsu around Naruto and Shikamaru. This is going to be an A-rank mission, like the mission to the Wave Country."

-

"You think too highly of yourself, Sarutobi-sensei. You are only second on my list. Konoha is third."

"And the first?"

-

"We have to pick up the pace! We can't let that green freak catch Gaara!"

-

"You hid him well, Sensei. I thought as a substitute for him, I'd get Neji-kun, but the Hyuuga curse seal would cause problems. And, unfortunately, Konoha has little else of value now."

-

"I don't know what Genma had in mind, but I want you to stop Lee and then wait for orders in a safe location."

-

"What happened to the little Uchiha, Sensei? The one that might surpass Itachi one day—Sasuke-kun—where did you hide him? I wanted to test his abilities in this little exam."

"Uchiha Sasuke disappeared years ago."

"Now, now, Sarutobi-sensei, my spies may not have been able to find him, but I know he's here. The Uchiha Clan has always been a great source of strength for Konoha, and you would have kept the only other survivor."

-

It had been many, many years since Konoha had suffered so much damage. A good segment of the city wall had been breached and over two dozen buildings had been completely demolished or damaged so severely that they had to be torn down. The number of dead shinobi was staggering for a village that had existed peacefully for nearly a decade. Konoha managed to escape without civilian deaths although there were several with injuries. However, what had sent most of Konoha into shock was the death of Sandaime.

The ANBU squad that had been trapped outside the barrier had been able to see most of the battle between the Hokage and Orochimaru. It was the last moments of the fight where the sequence of events broke down. All they knew was that Orochimaru fled and that Sandaime had the shikifuujin seal on his stomach and a sword wound through his chest.

Konoha mourned its loss briefly but deeply and moved on. After all, a shinobi village could waste little time for useless grief. Reconstruction of the damaged areas began the day after the public funeral.

-

"Watch out!"

Uzumaki Naruto looked up in time to see several planks of broken wood tumble down from the roof above. He yelped and threw himself out of the way just in time. Leaping to his feet, Naruto shook his fist at the boy on the roof.

"What was that for, Gagami?"

Tsuchiya Gagami held up both hands in what was supposed to be a placating gesture. "Sorry, Naruto-kun."

Two teammates could hardly have been more different. Where Naruto was obnoxiously noisy, Gagami was subdued and polite. Naruto's blonde hair was always unkempt, sticking out in every direction. The other male member of Naruto's team had dark brown hair, laced with traces of auburn. A thin braid dangled from behind his right ear and down to about the middle of his shoulder blade. Naruto's regular outfit was almost painfully orange while Gagami wore darker colors: a long-sleeved red shirt, open green vest, and dark brown pants.

"Sorry? You almost killed me, idiot!"

An annoyed look crossed the brunette's face. "Not everyone heals as fast as you, Naruto," Gagami shot back, pointing with his left hand at the bandages wrapped above his right elbow.

Gagami had caught a stray kunai in the Chuunin Exam stadium while unconscious, severing a tendon. Konoha's medical ninjas had easily reconnected the tendon, but it would take some time before the right arm was back to normal. The medic-nins were still treating some of the more critically injured, and they weren't going to waste chakra on Gagami, especially since he was left-handed.

"Never mind, Naruto-kun," Gagami said, rubbing at the sore area on his arm. "Why don't we take a break? Sakura should be back soon." She had volunteered to get some food for their lunch break. Sakura had been helping Gagami tear out broken roofing and lowering it down by rope to Naruto, who stacked it out of the way.

"Do you think she'll bring ramen?" Naruto asked hopefully, his earlier anger forgotten at the prospect of food.

"Probably not," Gagami said, rolling his eyes. "After this, we have to meet Kakashi-sensei at the bridge."

"Gagami-kun! Naruto-kun!" Haruno Sakura waved to her two teammates down the street. Dangling from her left hand was a bundle wrapped in purple cloth.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted, ecstatic. Gagami was stepping off the last rung of the ladder when the female member of Team Seven joined the boys. Naruto made as if to throw his arms around her, but she neatly dodged and he ended up with a bento in his arms instead. "Thank you, Sakura-chan," Naruto said, not to be put off. He immediately sat down in the shade and began to eat.

Sakura handed Gagami his bento and they each took a seat beside Naruto to eat. It was a companionable silence between the trio as they ate the first few bites. "I saw Kabuto-san on my way back," Sakura said a few moments in. "He asked me to say hello to you two. His team is going on a mission, and he doesn't know when they'll be back."

"Why does he get a good mission?" Naruto asked in an irritated voice. "How come we have to fix roofs instead?"

"How should I know?" Sakura snapped back. She had never had much patience for Naruto. The two boys had thought at first that Sakura had been largely mild and polite, but after their months together as a team it had been revealed that she had a fairly short and violent temper.

Gagami sighed as the two began to argue. Hopefully they still wouldn't be at it when it was time to meet Kakashi.

-

"So you really are as big of a pervert as Naruto says."

"That shouldn't surprise you, considering you always have one of my books with you."

"Still, shouldn't you be less conspicuous when you're peeking?"

"I've never been caught."

"Ah."

"Naruto was quite upset that you didn't train him last month."

"I had to do some spying of my own."

"See anything interesting?"

"Not what I needed to see."

"A spy wouldn't be any good if he could be found simply because you wanted to find him."

"True."

"I'm going to take Naruto with me."

"Today? Well, I have to meet my team pretty soon. Do you want to come with me?"

"Not right now. I still have some more research to do."

"When you're done then?"

"Yeah."

-

Naruto was pacing up and down the bridge in agitation. Sakura tapped her fingers on the railing. Gagami had take out a sheet of paper and was absently folding it. Kakashi, to no one's surprise but everyone's irritation, was late.

The minutes went by. Naruto continued to march up and down, muttering. Sakura had stopped drumming her fingers, but her arms were crossed and she was frowning. The piece of paper Gagami had been folding had turned into a hawk while already a second figure was taking shape under his hands.

The sound of a bell made Team Seven look up from their activities to see two people in high collared black cloaks were heading towards them. The red clouds were scattered across the cloaks. The hats the two wore made it difficult to see their faces. There was a bell attached to each hat. The taller of the two had a large object wrapped in bandages tied to his back.

"Can we help you?" Sakura called out first. The genin team was clumped together in the middle of the bridge with the strangers still on the bank.

"Yes." The shorter figure was the one who spoke, but while his voice was soft, there was a subtle sort of menace in it. "Are you Uzumaki Naruto?"

Sakura and Gagami shot looks at Naruto, who was frowning. "Yeah. Who are you?"

"Uchiha Itachi."

"So this is the Kyuubi kid?" The taller man spoke up, all of his attention on Uchiha, completely ignoring the genin. "Doesn't look like much, does he?"

"What?" Naruto started to say, whether angry at being underestimated or surprised at being accused of housing a demon, neither of his teammates was sure.

Without warning, the tall man pulled the bundle off his back, pointing it straight at the three genin. A giant sword-shaped bundle. "I can kill the other two, right?"

"Yes."

-

_Author's Notes—_

_Once again, credit to Lazarus (timelapse at DeviantArt) for the original idea. Many thanks to Kilerkki, my beautiful beta. Gratitude must be extended to Cieloan for lending me abundant source material so that I could recreate a madman's motivation. And, of course, thanks to you readers who've left reviews and/or put me on author alert. _

_Constructive comments, criticism, praise, etc., are all welcome and wanted. Also, if you came here through Lazarus's DA account, please say so in your review. For updates on my progress, check out my blog (link in author profile)._

_-Phoenix_


	3. Battle on the Bridge

Disclaimer and Important Note are the same as in the first two chapters of this fanfic. Also, from this point on the writing style will change a bit, largely dropping the earlier Omniscient Narrator POV and getting to the characters themselves. Huzzah for getting most of the Necessary Plot Set Up ™ and Establishing AU Background ™ out of the way.

-

The Phantom of Konoha

Chapter Two: Battle on the Bridge

-

Uzumaki Naruto simply stared in shock at the two men who had confronted him and his teammates. _How do they know about the stupid fox?_ he wondered. Naruto had rarely ever been this surprised or uneasy. He could _feel_ the men's chakra—the short one at least was definitely stronger than Kakashi, and the other one was probably about the same level as their teacher.

Suddenly the tall one yanked his weapon off his back and pointed it at Naruto and his friends. "I can kill the other two, right?"

The short one didn't even hesitate. "Yes."

Sakura let out a little gasp that Naruto could hear quite clearly even though she was behind him. Gagami's breathing became quicker and more ragged, while Naruto nearly stopped breathing altogether. It was one thing for an opponent to yell at you to die during battle and another altogether to have someone much stronger than you say he was going to kill your teammates.

The one with the bandaged-wrapped sword—what else could it be?—caught onto the team's obvious fear. He laughed, an amused sound woven through with menace. "Too bad they won't offer much of a fight." A sudden motion and then the man's hat was off his head and they could see his face.

The only uglier person Naruto had ever seen was Gaara of the Sand when he was part way into his demon form. This missing-nin—he had to be, he was wearing the hitai-ate of the Hidden Village of Mist with a scratch through it—had blue skin and markings akin to gills on his face. His teeth were pointed unnaturally, almost like he had them filed. _He's like a shark_, _except he can breathe on land,_ Naruto thought.

The removal of his hat acted as a signal for Naruto and his teammates. Sakura and Naruto both drew out kunai, while Gagami picked up the paper hawk he had finished earlier. The three genin were in a basic defensive triangle, with Naruto closest to the enemy and Gagami and Sakura behind him.

The blue-skinned shinobi laughed again. "We'll see how long you last against Samehada!" He charged up the bridge and toward Naruto.

Who cared how strong they were? They were threatening Naruto and his teammates. _"Kage bushin no jutsu!"_

Suddenly there were five Narutos, all armed with kunai. The blonde ninja always preferred the advantage of numbers when it came to a fight. With a roar, the shadow clones charged the sword-wielding shinobi.

Five kunai arced toward the blue ninja. With barely a pause, the man dodged two and swatted away the remaining three with his gigantic weapon. _He has to be really strong to move it that fast,_ Naruto thought as he and his clones drew out more weapons. The one who had said his name was Uchiha still stood motionless, watching the fight from his place on the riverbank.

The enemy was on the bridge now, but Naruto and his clones had surrounded him. The real Naruto had ended up standing atop one of the railings. From his position he could see that Sakura, in a protective stance, had placed herself between the fight and Gagami.

Gagami's hands moved, creating a flurry of seals. He had the little origami figure between his teeth. When he hit the finishing seal—the Dragon—he spit out the figure, shouting, _"Kami no seishin no jutsu!"_

Naruto wasn't about to sit there and let Gagami take all of the Mist-nin's attention. He and his clones charged again, kunai in hands, pulling the enemy's attention away from Gagami and back to the immediate threat. Over the yell of his clones, Naruto heard the screech of a hawk.

Shark-guy swung his weapon, and there was a puff of smoke. Clone number one down. The blue shinobi used the momentum of the swing to take out another clone.

A brown hawk flew up into the sky, something clutched in its talons. _What's Gagami doing? Why just one?_ Naruto knew that the dark-haired ninja always had more than just one origami figure on his person.

Two more puffs of smoke. Only Naruto remained now, facing the blue ninja.

Before the hawk could get more than a few meters above their heads, the short enemy moved. A kunai was suddenly flying through the air, and it hit the hawk's breast. Gagami's Paper's Soul technique crumbled. What was once a hawk was now two falling pieces of paper: a white one with a hole in it and white one with a red border and black writing.

Gagami smiled, and the second paper exploded, creating a discharge of light, smoke, and sound.

Naruto ducked instinctively. _That jerk. _The smoke had enveloped that section of the bridge entirely so that he couldn't see where the blue shinobi had gone.

The smoke began to clear, and Naruto could see that his enemy had jumped out of the smoke and back toward his comrade, weapon at the ready.

There were two thuds as Sakura and Gagami landed at Naruto's side. "You could have warned me," Naruto said, glaring at his teammates.

"Sorry, Naruto," Gagami said in a voice significantly louder than normal, watching the two enemies. "But I figured we needed help." The dark haired boy now pulled a kunai from the holster on his left leg so that everyone on their team now had a weapon out.

Naruto frowned. He wasn't deaf from the explosion or anything, so why was Gagami talking like that? It didn't make any sense. A second more and Naruto realized that what Gagami was saying wasn't just for his teammates—it was also for Shark-guy and the Uchiha.

The pair of enemies had obviously caught onto that train of thought before Naruto did. Shark-guy scowled at the three genin on the bridge. He took a step forward. Team Seven tensed, waiting for the charge, but before the enemy could move, the shorter one held out a hand to stop him. "You'll get hurt unnecessarily if you fight him," Uchiha said.

Naruto blinked in confusion. Surely he didn't mean _Gagami_, did he? Gagami might have been one of the better rookies—Naruto would never admit that aloud though—but there was no way he was up to their level. In the next second his question was answered.

"Sorry I'm late," a familiar, carefree voice said from above and behind Naruto. "I'm afraid I was talking to one of the Sannin and lost track of time." Crouching on one of the tresses above the bridge was Team Seven's jounin leader, Hatake Kakashi.

* * *

_For once,_ Kakashi noted absently, _they didn't call me a liar_. He spared the briefest glance for his students. They all appeared to be intact, kunai out, lined up on the bridge facing the two men. Those men were the ones who got the most of the jounin's attention. 

One Kakashi recognized after a brief moment of thought. "You're Hoshigaki Kisame, S-rank criminal, missing-nin from the Hidden Mist. One of the Mist's Seven Legendary Swordsmen." Still on his perch, Kakashi carefully shifted his hitai-ate to reveal his left eye—Obito's eye. He would definitely need every advantage he could get against this one.

Kisame grinned behind his partner's outstretched arm. "Copy Ninja Kakashi. I heard that you took out that kid, Zabuza."

Kakashi noted the twitch that ran through his team. He could almost imagine their thought processes—if this guy was calling _Zabuza_ a kid . . . Kakashi took that moment to leap down, landing lightly between his team and the enemy shinobi. "What are two Mist missing-nin doing here?" He tried to remember if any of the Seven had had ties to Konoha of some sort, but he couldn't think of anything.

Kisame's wide, shark-like grin grew larger. Kakashi involuntarily remembered something Sensei had said back when Kakashi was a chuunin: _If your enemy is smiling, and you can't tell why immediately, you're screwed._ Sensei had been in a rather sarcastic mood after _that_ botched mission.

Kisame's partner moved then, pulling the hat off of his head so Kakashi could see his face. "I'm not from Mist, Kakashi-san."

Kakashi stared at the familiar crease-lined face, the dark hair, and the unmistakable eyes. _Definitely screwed_. "Uchiha Itachi."

"Hey!" Naruto was trying to get his teacher's attention. "You know this guy, Kakashi-sensei?"

"He's supposed to be dead." Kakashi remembered the rumors about Itachi back when he was—when they both were—part of ANBU. _Hasn't anyone else noticed the explosion?_ He hadn't ever worked directly with Itachi, but he had heard a lot of things that he would have thought to be nothing more than exaggeration except they had come from one of his former teammates, Taro.

"What?"

Kakashi kept his eyes on Itachi, noting every feature, every detail of the younger man. Man? If he remembered right, Itachi shouldn't be more than eighteen at the most. "Five years ago, everyone in the Uchiha Clan, except his younger brother, was killed." Had Itachi worn purple nail polish when he had been in ANBU? "The bodies of the other head family members were completely destroyed in a fire."

Kisame started to laugh. "So they don't even know that you killed them all?" he asked, incredulous, turning to Itachi. "You never said you set a fire."

Itachi still had the Konoha hitai-ate tied around his forehead, a deep scratch through the leaf symbol. _This definitely answers some of our questions about that night,_ Kakashi thought. _And it raises several dozen more._

"I didn't," was the steady reply. "But we're running out of time." Four shuriken were suddenly in Itachi's outstretched hand. "Kisame."

Kakashi swore even as his hands flashed through a sequence of seals. A wall of water shot upwards from the river below, protectively enveloping the four ninja on the bridge. As it was, the wall was barely in time to block four different jets of water from bowling into the team.

_He really _is_ fast_, Kakashi thought. Itachi had used the shuriken as a distraction, no doubt thinking that Kakashi would have tried to dodge the projectiles and trusting his students to dodge as well. _He would have gotten me with that technique if I hadn't tried to defend my team._

Before Kakashi could even release the technique completely, he sensed one of the missing-nin above. He jerked his head upward just in time to see Itachi, kunai in hand, and falling straight toward him. Kakashi barely had time to block the descending blade. The clang of weapon on weapon was drowned out by the sound of the released water falling back into the river.

With Kakashi's right hand occupied with fending off the pressure from Itachi's kunai, Kisame took the opportunity to leap over the pair and head straight for the three genin. Kakashi opened his mouth to shout, and in that moment found Itachi's left fist heading straight for his temple. Kakashi brought his own left hand to counter the blow and managed to grab Itachi's wrist millimeters before the man's fist made contact.

Itachi twisted, and suddenly his own hand was wrapped around Kakashi's wrist. Then the man _pulled_, and Kakashi suddenly found himself being yanked around at an almost inconceivable speed. _Unbelievably screwed._

It was mere luck that Kakashi hit the railing shoulder first. As it was, Kakashi's collar bone shattered instead of his skull. With a sickening crash, Kakashi broke through the railing and plunged into the water.

* * *

Shark-guy was after him again. _Why do they want me?_ Naruto began the seals for his favorite technique as the shinobi leapt over Kakashi and Uchiha and landed between Naruto and the other fight. 

Shark-guy, however, had different ideas. He swung his blade, and the three genin leapt backwards to avoid getting sliced in half. But something was wrong—the chakra Naruto had been molding disappeared. _What happened? _he thought frantically.

Gagami took out an explosion note while they dodged, making it glow as he poured some of his chakra into it. With a sudden movement, he flung the note at Shark-guy, who had raised his bandage-wrapped sword for another gigantic swing. The note attached itself to the enemy shinobi's cloak.

Four things happened in rapid succession.

Shark-guy threw his sword at Naruto and his teammates, who leaped far out of the way to avoid getting hit by the gigantic weapon. The sword plowed itself into the bridge planks where they had been standing.

As the explosion note began to burn, Shark-guy ripped off his black and red cloak and hurled it at Gagami. Unable to change his direction mid-jump, Gagami ended up tangled in the garment and completely missed his landing, crashing into the hard planks of the bridge.

Kakashi smashed into the railing, breaking through the wood and landing with a gigantic splash in the water below.

Gagami struggled to get to his feet and get rid of the cloak at the same time. He was only partially successful at both. The explosion note erupted, sending a gigantic plume of smoke into the air.

"Gagami!" Sakura yelled.

Naruto swore violently. He couldn't tell what had happened to either his teacher or his teammate. He reached for his chakra again, but instead of the normal blue energy, he reached for a touch of the red, the special chakra that Ero-sennin had taught him to use. _They won't get away—_

A loud noise behind him stopped his thoughts. He whipped around, only to see a large cloud of smoke drift away to reveal—

"Ero-sennin!" Naruto gaped at the old man. There was a frog next to him, a tall, stout one that had a katana strapped to its back.

For once the man's voice was serious. "Stay back, Naruto." His voice said he wouldn't take any cheek from Naruto, not this time. "I'll take care of them."

Shark-guy grabbed the hilt of his sword, which was still embedded in the bridge. He pulled on it, and as he did so chunks of the bridge came up with it, tearing the bandages off in the process. Naruto stared. It was the strangest sword he had ever seen; instead of a cleaver like Zabuza had had, this blade seemed to be covered in teeth.

"Kisame." The tone was just as even and emotionless as ever. Shark-guy apparently could hear what Naruto couldn't, because the man jumped back to his partner's side. "Jiraiya-sama, it's time for us to go."

"Not if I can help it." Jiraiya's hands formed a series of rapid seals.

The other two were just as quick at forming seals. Before Jiraiya could finish the sequence, the two missing-nin disappeared in two identical puffs of smoke.

* * *

_Author's Notes—_

_Sorry it took so long to get this up. Hopefully, you think it was worth the wait. It's been a long time since I've had to write a battle scene, and it's the first time I ever had to write a _ninja_ battle scene. I hope you could follow it all right . . ._

_Much love, praise, and appreciation must be bestowed upon my wonderful beta, Kilerkki. (I highly suggest you check out her new _Naruto_ story at this site called Wolf Mask, which features a rather interesting romantic pairing.) Thanks, of course, must also be extended to you wonderful reviewers. Your comments always mean a lot to me._

_Speaking of comments (and criticism), they are welcome and wanted. Let me know if you find anything lacking or confusing in this story at all. Questions are also welcome._

_-Phoenix_


	4. At the Hospital

Disclaimer has not changed. You want a refresher course, read the prologue and first chapter again.

Important Note: Dedicated to Chev, 'cuz she kept poking me into getting this finished. And to gear-chan, who's giving Kilerkki and me art.

-

The Phantom of Konoha

Chapter Three: At the Hospital

-

Uzumaki Naruto did not like hospitals. They were so blank and subdued and devoid of energy; he always felt painfully conspicuous. Hundreds of imaginary eyes always seemed to glare at his back, resentful of his presence. Naruto never stayed a second longer than they could hold him down.

"Stop pacing, Naruto." His head whipped around. At least one set of eyes was real. Sakura was glaring at him from her seat in the waiting room. "You're not helping."

"And neither are you."

The glare became murderous. Naruto froze, knowing from painful past experiences that when Sakura had _that_ look on her face, he needed to back down or brace himself for a great deal of pain. Why was it that she could tap her foot all she wanted but he couldn't pace?

He was saved from a legitimate reason to stay in the hospital by the arrival of a tall, dark haired doctor. Naruto had a hard time taking most adults seriously, and in his opinion the medic-nin uniforms made it almost impossible. What sort of ninja would be all in white and have those stupid caps and collars?

"You're Hatake Kakashi-san's genin?" the doctor asked. "Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto?" Sakura nodded and stood up. "I'm the chief medic-nin, Yakushi Yasuo, and--"

"Are they all right?" Naruto blurted out. What was the point in manners when they took up too much time?

"_Naruto!_" Sakura hissed, but Yakushi smiled at Naruto, a genuine smile, not the fake calming ones medic-nin always seemed to have when they told you that no, popping your shoulder back into joint wouldn't hurt one single bit. Or the strained-patience smile that most adults seemed to give Naruto when they weren't scowling at him.

The smile was a brief one; Yakushi's solemn expression quickly returned. "Hatake-san shattered his collarbone, but we'll let him go tomorrow morning."

"And Gagami?"

Yakushi flipped through some of the pages on his clipboard. "He was severely injured, but his condition is stable. Tsuchiya-kun has burns over most of the left half of his body, and his left radius and ulna were broken. His hearing was damaged as well, but by tomorrow morning he should be hearing well enough to hold a conversation."

"He's going to be all right then?" Naruto didn't know or care what radius and ulna were, but he had to be absolutely certain that that jerk Gagami would be all right. Those black-cloaked freaks had been after Naruto, and once again Gagami ended up getting hurt instead. He _hated_ owing anyone, and now it looked like he owed the boy twice over. _Damn!_

"He'll be able to do some light training in three or four weeks, I think," Yakushi said, making a few notes on the papers on his clipboard.

Naruto grinned, most of his pent-up anxiety draining out of him. He still wanted to make sure for himself though, because seeing with his own eyes was always better than relying on another source. Sakura smiled, too, and Naruto knew that she wouldn't hit him now. He noticed her fingers were playing with her kunai holster. _Why's she nervous?_

"Can we see them?" Sakura asked.

Yakushi frowned a little more, and shook his head slightly. "Hatake-san already has a visitor, and Tsuchiya-kun should be sleeping." A few more notes were scribbled on the documents.

Naruto scowled at the doctor. Who'd be visiting Kakashi-sensei already? "Doesn't matter," he informed the older man, bravado overtaking the concern in his voice. "We'd sneak in to see them anyway. I've done it before—"

"—and stole several dozen roles of bandages." Yakushi finished smoothly, looking up suddenly from his writing. Naruto stared at the doctor in surprise. Who knew a medic-nin could arch an eyebrow that well? "You then proceeded to decorate the hospital grounds with aforementioned bandages. It took two nurses and my son nearly four hours to clean up after you."

Sakura was glaring at him _again_. Naruto laughed uneasily, scratching the back of his neck. She wouldn't hit him in front of a stranger, right? "I haven't been pulling pranks for ages," he said, perhaps a tad too eagerly. It was the truth. Well, at least not on the hospital staff.

Yakushi looked Naruto and Sakura over. Naruto resisted the urge to shift his weight from foot to foot like a little kid. This was why he always felt that people watched him in the hospital—medic-nin always looked like they could see your insides just by staring at you. He always felt like they treated him like one of Shino's bugs, being categorized and catalogued and then shunted aside when they were done fixing whatever was wrong with him.

The medic-nin sighed. "Give me a moment to finish this paperwork, and then I'll let you two see your sensei."

"Really?" It was a concession, of sorts. And he and Sakura could always sneak to Gagami's room later. Like he was going to let Yakushi tell him he couldn't see his teammate.

"Yes." The smile was back, and Naruto had the feeling that he'd passed some sort of scrutiny. "My son owes your team a debt; it's the least I can do to let you see Hatake-san."

Naruto whooped with delight, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet. "All right!" The nurse at the reception desk shot him a glare for his noise. Naruto grinned at her from across the room, knowing that it would irk the woman.

"Excuse me," Sakura said, wrenching Naruto's attention away from the nurse. "Are you Kabuto-san's father?"

Yakushi nodded. "He told me that your team helped him get to the tower during the second part of the Chuunin Exams."

Naruto squinted at the doctor, studying the medic-nin for once instead of the other way around. The doctor had black hair and dark eyes, and while he was tall, his build was not nearly as thin as Kabuto's was. His skin was darker too. "You don't look much like father and son," Naruto said bluntly. He might not have ever seen his own father, but he knew that family was supposed to look alike. Take Hinata and Neji, for instance. Same pale complexion and eyes and black hair; all of the Hyuuga were like that. Although why Fuzzy-eyebrows and his teacher were so similar, Naruto had no idea.

"You're right." A nurse walked by at that moment, and Yakushi flagged her down. "Take this to the front desk, please," he said, handing her the clipboard and pen. The nurse bowed slightly and took the items from him before leaving.

The medic-nin gestured for Naruto and Sakura to follow him. As they walked down the hospital corridors, he said, "My wife and I adopted Kabuto when he was little."

Naruto nodded wisely. "So that's why you don't look alike." _Now, where would Gagami be in this place? Hmm. If he's hurt as badly as Yakushi says, he's probably on the next level up._ Naruto knew that he wouldn't be in the same section of the hospital as their teacher because they had different types of injuries. There was a burn unit, wasn't there?

Naruto tuned out the sporadic small-talk between Sakura and Yakushi as they walked to Kakashi's room. He needed to formulate some sort of plan to get around Yakushi and see Gagami. _Maybe Sakura-chan will help distract him?_

-

"It was an understandable mistake."

"But still a mistake," Jiraiya countered. The revelation that Itachi was alive and had been the one to wipe out the Uchiha Clan was something Jiraiya had not foreseen. He had known that there was at least one member of the Akatsuki with a terrifying doujutsu but hadn't been able to make a positive identification.

Kakashi resisted the urge to shrug. Bandaged as he was, it would probably be impossible, and the trying would undoubtedly hurt. He was reclining against the wall behind his hospital bed, talking with the white-haired Sannin. "Doujutsu aren't all that uncommon. And since we thought Itachi was dead . . . At least now you've confirmed the identity of another of the Akatsuki."

"And confirmed that they're after Naruto." Jiraiya paused for a long moment, glancing out the window. Kakashi waited, also silent, because he respected his sensei's sensei and because he had a good idea of what the Sannin was going to say. "I have to get him out of Konoha," Jiraiya said, still looking out the window. "There are serious problems with my 'research,' and until I can fix them . . ."

"It can't be helped."

"He needs to be trained to defend himself against the Akatsuki."

_You shouldn't be offended by that,_ Kakashi told himself firmly. _Jiraiya is one of the Sannin; you're just a jounin, even if you're the genius Copy Ninja. Of course he can teach Naruto better than you can._

"And if we're looking for her, then we'll have some added security by being mobile," Jiraiya continued. "Konoha needs her." He turned away from the window, an amused expression on his face. "Because if I can't find her, Konoha will be stuck with _me._"

Kakashi laughed.

-

Naruto was unsure whether Sakura had caught his pointed looks while they chatted with their sensei and Ero-sennin or if she really had meant to speak to Yakushi before he hinted at anything. But in any case Sakura had kept Yakushi from escorting Naruto out of the hospital, which was perfectly fine with him.

Naruto was glad that hospitals were orderly places—it was so much easier to find things, especially if you couldn't ask someone yourself. The floor directory was at the base of the stairs and a quick scan revealed that Gagami would probably be on one of the two floors above. Naruto took the stairs two at a time, as quickly and quietly as he could.

He was in luck, for there was no one on the floor when he peeked cautiously out of the stairwell. _So far, so good_. Naruto couldn't help but smile; it had been a while since he had done any serious sneaking within Konoha.

He was nearly to the end of the hall by the time he spotted the tiny name card with "Tsuchiya Gagami" written on it. Two quick looks to either end of the corridor to make sure no one was there, and then Naruto slid the door quietly open and slipped inside.

It was a normal hospital room, in almost every detail identical to the ones he always woke up in. Naruto had never been in this section of the hospital before, and he was glad that he hadn't. Yakushi had said that Gagami had been hurt pretty seriously, but that wasn't the same as seeing what had happened himself.

Naruto could tell that the person on the bed was Gagami because of the brownish-auburn hair creeping out from under the bandages around his head. He had never seen someone with so many bandages before, except for maybe Hinata's jounin leader, whatever-her-name-was. Loose bandages encircled Gagami's torso, left arm and shoulder, neck, and almost three-quarters of his face, and Naruto thought that if Gagami hadn't been covered by a blanket there would be more bandages. An IV of some sort dripped a clear liquid into a vein in Gagami's right arm.

"Hey, Gagami," Naruto said as he crossed to the bed, but the other boy didn't move. He was about to say it again, but then he remembered that the doctor had said that Gagami had gotten his hearing messed up. Naruto wanted to see if Gagami was awake, but the other boy couldn't hear him, and both eyes had been covered in bandages.

Carefully, Naruto edged over to the Gagami's right side, the side that wasn't swathed in bandages. He tapped his teammate on the shoulder to avoid messing with the IV. Gagami didn't move. Again, Naruto tapped Gagami's bare right shoulder, but there was no response.

"You're a jerk, Gagami, you know that?" Naruto said, glaring at the still body. The chest rose and fell slowly, but regularly. "Always stealing the spotlight from me." There was a strange, acrid sort of quality to the air, the kind of taste that would stick in the throat and linger for hours afterward.

_"Shut up, Naruto!"_

_"You shut up! I can get us out of here without—"_

_"No, you can't! _Kami tate no jutsu!"

Naruto sat down on the stool next to the bed. "And you can't even steal it right. You keep getting hurt doing it." He folded his arms across his chest, frowning at the boy who couldn't hear him.

_"We have to break those mirrors."_

_"How're we supposed to break them when you've put up this wall around us?"_

_"Just listen to me!"_

Hospitals were far too quiet; all he could hear was Gagami's breathing. Naruto shifted uneasily on the stool. The imaginary eyes were back, their accusatory stares heightened in intensity.

_"Got it?"_

_"Yeah. _Kage bushin no jutsu!"

"Kai!"

Naruto tensed slightly as the sound of footsteps approached. But who ever it was kept going, the sounds fading into the distance.

_"Gagami!"_

_"He was talented; you would have gotten out with his help. But I can't let you interfere."_

_"You—"_

"You just had to be the hero, didn't you?" Naruto asked after several long minutes of silence. Gagami continued breathing, an almost imperceptible sound. The sound of footsteps returned, but Naruto ignored them, focusing instead on his unconscious teammate. "Well, I won't let you anymore, you understand?" Anger and stubbornness crept into Naruto's voice. "You're not going to get between me and danger anymore. I won't let my teammates get hurt instead of me—and I never go back on my word. That's my ninja way!"

The door to Gagami's room slid open. Naruto jumped up off the stool and turned around to face the intruder.

"Jiraiya-sama is looking for you," Yakushi said quietly. Naruto winced, waiting for some sort of reprimand from the medic-nin. "He'll be waiting outside the front doors." Then he was gone, leaving the door open behind him.

When Naruto left a few seconds later, he remembered to shut the door.

-

_Author's Notes—_

_Love, praise, and Cheez-its for my beta, Kilerkki. She's amazing, and so is her story, _Wolf Mask. _Credit to Lazarus (timelapse dot deviantart dot com) for translating "Paper Shield Technique"(_kami tate no jutsu)_ for me._

_The beginning of chapter one has been revised slightly. As for the readers' dominant question—Where's Sasuke?—well, he's not here yet. Tentative schedule for his reappearance: soon. _

_Finally, thank you to all who have reviewed so far: HowLong, Uchiha Kuraiko, AjinAvenger/endlessXdreamer, Rebel-blah-blah-blah, ArrowofHikaru, Lost ninja #1, cfox, Jubei Himura, and Chevira Lowe. Your comments and criticism have been very important to me—I take your question, comments, and criticism seriously even if I don't personally reply in my notes._

_Constructive feedback will be greatly appreciated._

_-Phoenix_


	5. Separate Paths

Disclaimer has not changed. You want a refresher course, read the prologue and first chapter again.

Important Note: Please read the author notes at the end of the chapter

-

The Phantom of Konoha

Chapter Four: Separate Paths

-

Yesterday had been a less than pleasant day for Haruno Sakura, what with one teammate seriously injured and their sensei incapacitated. Understandably, she was not too pleased with her other teammate's reaction to her news. Naruto looked as if she had just announced her undying love for Rock Lee. His eyes were wide, blinking confusedly, and his jaw had dropped in shock. "Do you have a problem with this?" Sakura asked irritably. The white medic-nin cap on her head itched, but she refused to tug at it in front of her teammate.

Naruto's jaw snapped shut. "No . . ."

She had enough of his stupidity. "You're not the only one who can train." Sakura emphasized her words by pointing her finger at him. He went slightly cross-eyed, focusing on the tip of her pointer finger. "Kakashi-sensei can't train me with a broken collar bone, you're going off with that sennin who saved us yesterday, Gagami-kun won't be getting out of bed for a while, and Konoha can't spare anyone to train just me."

"But—why?" Naruto was still staring at the finger centimeters from his nose.

Sakura sighed and lowered her hand. "The medic-nin are short on people, and I have the qualities they need. Kakashi-sensei approved."

"_Why?" Yakushi asked_.

"_Because," Sakura said quietly, "I want to be able to keep them as safe as I can. They're always protecting me—I want to be able to take care of them myself."_

Naruto was looking at her strangely. Sakura folded her arms defensively. "I'll be training with you guys when you're back and Gagami-kun is out of the hospital." Naruto was still giving her an odd, measuring look. "What?"

"You look really stupid in that uniform, Sakura-chan."

-

Naruto hissed as he gingerly touched the swelling bump on his head. Sakura was very strong when she was ticked-off at him. He took the steps up to Gagami's floor slower than he would have normally due to the weight of his travel pack.

Ero-sennin had said last night that he could visit Gagami before they headed out. Naruto had at first refused to go with the old pervert on his search for a "beautiful woman," but then Ero-sennin had added that he would teach Naruto a new jutsu on the trip. And that the woman they were looking for was the best medic-nin Konoha had ever had.

Focused as he was on his recent injury, Naruto didn't notice the noise until he was a few steps away from Gagami's room. From the other side of the door he could hear a woman's voice. An angry girl's voice, one that could probably even rival Sakura.

"—stupid can you be? If you'd been away from Konoha, you could have died!"

Naruto stared at the closed door, surprised. He had never heard Gagami get chewed out before. Gagami was the number-one genin rookie, first or second in every category among his agemates. To hear him called stupid by anyone other than Naruto was unheard of.

Was he hearing this right? Naruto pressed his ear to the door in order to listen better. He and Gagami were generally on good terms—unless Gagami was being a jerk—but Naruto couldn't let an opportunity like this one pass him by.

The girl—whoever she was—was still ranting. "If you can't keep your hide intact, I'll move you up in line! I'm sure Kusanagi wouldn't mind being—"

Naruto didn't have time to react to what happened next. The door suddenly slid open and a large hand snaked into the sudden gap. Naruto found the front of his orange suit in the strong grasp of an older boy. "It's not polite to eavesdrop," the boy said, stopping the female voice mid-rant.

Naruto looked up at a much taller version of Gagami with a chuunin vest. His hair was shorter and lighter and the braid a little longer, but otherwise it was a picture of what Gagami would look like in a few years. In a few years and several kilos of muscle later. Naruto wished, not for the first time, that he would hit his growth spurt.

His captor pulled on his suit and Naruto found himself yanked inside. "Hey! Let me go!" Naruto yelled, wrenching at the other boy's hand. Naruto managed to pulled away and glared at the person who man-handled him, but the boy returned the look impassively.

Before Naruto could really start up an argument, there was a strangled sound of anger. He turned around to face the woman who had been ranting earlier. _I am going to die_, Naruto thought with a rush of adrenaline; he knew what an angry female looked like, and this one was furious. The girl's face was twisted into a scowl that made her usually pretty face terrifying. The last time she had looked at him like that, Naruto had ended up face-first in the street. She got up from the stool by Gagami's bed and took a step in Naruto's direction.

"Oneesan?" Gagami's voice was a little too loud and slurred slightly, but it stopped the girl's movement. Naruto remembered to breathe. "Wha's goin' on?"

Gagami's sister turned back to him. "You have a visitor." Her voice was loud as well, and Naruto realized that Gagami's hearing must not be quite back up to normal.

"It's me," Naruto spoke up, wearily eyeing the girl's back. It didn't look like she was going to hit him now, but she had been absolutely pleasant to Konohamaru three seconds after punching Naruto out. She had not taken well to Konohamaru's botched transformation of her in the middle of the day in a public street and had taken her anger out on Naruto.

"We'll be back later, all right?" the girl said pleasantly, patting Gagami's right hand, the picture of a concerned older sister.

_She's crazy_, Naruto thought uneasily. It was like someone had flipped her emotional switch from "angry" to "nice." _It's not like the transformation was _that_ ugly . . ._ The only person Naruto know of that could hold a grudge that long was probably Hyuuga Neji. It had been close to a year since their last meeting, and she looked as if she wanted to kill him.

"Get better quickly," the girl said in a cheerful voice. She turned around, coldly brushed past Naruto, and left the room. The older version of Gagami followed her out silently, sliding the door shut behind them, like an Inuzuka dog following his partner.

There was silence for a long time while Naruto tried to recreate what had just happened in his mind. "Sorry you saw tha'," Gagami said, his voice still loud. "Minagi and Kusanagi, my ol'er sis'er and brother."

Naruto moved over to Gagami's side. The bandages, blanket, and IV were still in place. "So you're not the only Tsuchiya who's a jerk." Naruto felt a rush of anger and guilt as he took in again the extent of his teammate's injuries. Mentally, he renewed the promise he made yesterday.

Gagami laughed a little at that and turned his head in Naruto's direction. The bandages wrapped around his face covered the entire right side of his face and most of the left except for the cheek and jaw. Naruto realized that with the bandages his teammate couldn't see. But Yakushi hadn't mentioned anything about damaged eyesight, had he? "How are you feeling?" Naruto asked, not because he expected a good report, but because that was the expected question to ask.

"I'm a'shully not feelin' much a anythin'," Gagami admitted, slurring words together slightly.

Naruto grinned, relieved. _Never thought I'd hear him sound like a drunk._ "You know what happened yesterday?" _Whatever's in the IV has gotta be strong._

"Sak'ra tol' me this mornin', 'fore Minagi and Kusanagi came." What was visible of Gagami's mouth turned into a frown. "I tol' 'em what happen', and Minagi—you hear' part a it."

"Yeah," Naruto said, fiddling with the shoulder straps of his bag. Some of the fabric of his jacket had bunched up uncomfortably under the straps after Kusanagi's manhandling. "What did she mean about moving you up in line?"

Gagami sighed. "Move up in suc'ssion."

"That's good, isn't it?" Naruto asked. Neji had been so upset over _not_ being able to succeed the Hyuuga Clan that he had nearly killed his own cousin over it in the prelims for the third Chuunin Exam. Naruto had been very happy to repay _that_ debt a month later.

"No' if I wanna a'vance," Gagami answered slowly and carefully, almost like he was reciting some half-remembered lines. "The heir'ta the clan can't go'ta the Academy. Secon' in line—Kusanagi—can't a'vance from chuunin 'til Minagi has a kid."

Naruto scratched his head, perplexed. "Why?"

"It'sa clan law—our clan makes mos'a Konoha s'plosion notes an' scrolls." He paused then, and Naruto could tell that Gagami was trying to gather his drug-slowed thoughts. "Konoha needs s'plosion notes an' scrolls, an' we hav'ta make sure tha' the line nev'r dies. Kusanagi has'ta be a chuunin 'cuz they don' get dang'rous missions like jounin i'case Minagi dies. Somehow."

"So . . . if your sister promotes you," Naruto said slowly, and idea forming in his mind, "you can't ever get passed chuunin."

Gagami was sluggish in answering. "Yeah. No' for years at leas'. She's almos' eighteen, bu' she doesn' even hav'a boyfrien'."

Naruto grinned mischievously. "And if she _does_ promote you, then that means I'll make jounin before you do."

"Shu' up."

-

"Jiraiya-sama left this morning with Uzumaki Naruto in an attempt to locate Tsunade-hime and offer her the position of Godaime Hokage."

Inuzuka Tsume, Head of the Inuzuka Clan, jumped to her feet. "He left _alone_?" A short woman, she had held the position of alpha female in her clan for obvious reasons. One of which was her ability to beat any enemy of hers into submission. "Without an escort and with the Kyuubi's container?"

"That is what they just said," commented Hyuuga Hiashi from his seat near the head of the low wooden table.

Tsume snarled at him from across the table, but before she could turn and pick a fight with the other clan head, Koharu, one of Sandaime's advisors, interrupted. "He refused the position and the escort," she said calmly. "And he also refused to search for Tsunade-hime unless he could take Uzumaki with him. And with the confirmation that Uchiha Itachi was the one to slaughter his clan and his memberships within the Akatsuki, it was perhaps the wisest choice to have him leave with Jiraiya-sama."

"Two S-class missing-nin were able to waltz into this village and attack with hardly any resistance," Tsuchiya Hiro added darkly as Tsume sat down. "Konoha is not safe by any standard." The only clan head who wasn't a ninja, Hiro held the unenviable position of least important on the council.

"He's right," Gekkou Hatsuyo rasped from Hiro's left. She coughed for a moment before continuing, "We don't have enough"—cough—"people to secure Konoha and still"—cough—"complete the same number of missions."

Although generally ceremonial, the council had its origins before Konoha had been formed. Consisting of alliances (or at least non-aggression pacts) between some of the strongest clans in the Fire Country, these twelve—formerly thirteen—clans had been called upon by the First Hokage to form Konoha. Within months of the creation of the hidden village and the alliances formed amongst the clans, the rest of the ninja clans in Fire Country united under the First Hokage, or under the short-lived rebel, whose final battle was responsible for the creation of the Valley of the End.

"The Uchiha has been reclassified as a missing-nin, correct?" Mizuno Toshiko asked.

The advisors looked at each other. "Actually, no," Koharu admitted from her place at the foot of the table. "Only the Hokage can declare someone a missing-nin." She didn't elaborate because the head of the table—the Hokage's traditional place—was painfully and obviously empty.

Aburame Shibi was the one to break the silence. "There still might be a spy in Konoha." He shifted slightly in order to better face the advisors. "Have there been any new leads?"

"Hatake Kakashi is still investigating the matter." Homura, the second of Sandaime's advisors, shook his head. "But I'm afraid it's going to be even more difficult now. With all of the destruction and people killed or missing after the attack, we can't be sure that the spy is alive or even here anymore."

Not long afterward the council adjourned. The first to leave was Hyuuga Hiashi, then Mizuno Toshiko. Custom dictated that the members rise and depart in order of importance and in a stately manner. Five years ago, Hiashi would have been the third to leave—the Uchiha Clan had possessed the highest position after the Hokage. But the council of thirteen had long since been reduced to twelve, and there was no Hokage.

Aburame Shibi departed next, followed by Inuzuka Tsume, Kurosaki Ijirou, Akimichi Chouza, Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi, Yuuhi Kaishi, Gekkou Hatsuyo, and Arima Shinjirou. The last to stand were Hiro and the two advisors. Hiro quickly walked out of the room and down the stairs at a speed that was almost unbecoming for someone who was the head of his clan. None of the clan heads made snide remarks as he passed them one by one, for they knew that he was heading for the hospital to visit his son. Only duty had kept prevented Hiro from seeing his son earlier, but now that duty had been fulfilled, dignity could be shoved into a corner and ignored. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he began to run.

-

Jiraiya knew that there were three types of ninja in the world: sneaky, stealthy, and stupid. He also knew that those ninja who were of the third type didn't tend to live all that long. Pocketing Naruto's frog money bag, Jiraiya wondered if he would actually be able to see the boy live to his mid-teens despite the training he'd receive.

Not only had Naruto handed over (with _some _fuss, Jiraiya admitted) what was probably every single ryou the boy had earned in his life, but he had also failed to notice the tiny string of characters Jiraiya had managed to ink onto the back of his orange jump suit while they traveled.

Confident in the jutsu, Jiraiya handed Naruto a few ryou and gave him instructions to return to their hotel room when he had finished spending it. The Sannin watched the boy run off through the crowd and disappear. He smiled, and then made a beeline for his destination:

Akira's Pleasure House.

Jiraiya knew that Naruto would _not_ be happy finding out that his hard-earned ryou had ended up in Akira's hands. But the woman only took cash, and Jiraiya couldn't withdraw the necessary amount without drawing undue attention.

Research could be expensive, after all.

-

The Uchiha Clan had always been good at concealment. Itachi had proved this many times himself, and this afternoon was no exception. In a shinobi village hiding on a flat rooftop was nothing out of the ordinary, but in a traveler's town in the middle of a festival it was something of a novelty. He kept his chakra signature buried deep within nonetheless—Jiraiya-sama was a Sannin—but he kept his sharingan eyes activated.

His eyes caught the Sannin's every movement as the old man entered one of the many . . . less respectable establishments in the town.

Next to him, Kisame snorted. "He's just as arrogant as Orochimaru. Does he think he's chased us away?"

"No," Itachi replied, turning to his companion. Jiraiya-sama would be occupied for a long, long time. "The mark he left on the Kyuubi's vessel is a tracking jutsu used by Konoha's ANBU. It allows the user to know where the target is at all times." Itachi turned back to the crowd below and to the orange-suited genin who was haggling with a vendor. "The technique can be canceled or modified, if one knows what one's doing."

"And you know what you're doing?"

"Yes."

-

_Author's notes—_

_Praise, as always, to Kilerkki for betaing. Thanks also to gear-chan, akai/Kiba, and squeak-chan for suggesting the names for Gagami's older siblings. Gratitude to Chev for giving me a much-needed pep talk and threatening me with a trout._

_Thanks to Chevira, Archangel Rhapsody, Hikaru, starry096, Hiei's cute girl, Lukita Ravenwing, and YoungSasuke for reviewing the last chapter. I was surprised by all the first time reviewers, and I'm very grateful for your (continued?) interest. The same goes to all who have added me to their favorite lists or put me on author alert._

_Comments, constructive criticism, etc. are__, of course, welcome and wanted._

_-Phoenix_


	6. A Few More Threads

Disclaimer: Only the original characters and techniques belong to me.

Important Note: Check end notes for directions to wonderful art.

-

The Phantom of Konoha

Chapter Five: A Few More Threads

-

Hatake Kakashi and Maito Gai had been friends—and rivals—for over a decade. Theirs was a complicated relationship, but they knew each other well. So when Kakashi shrugged—as best he could with his left arm in a sling—Gai knew that his presence wouldn't be a problem.

"Where are you headed?" Gai asked as they meandered toward the outskirts of the city. It was near lunch time, so there were few people out and about.

"The Himura estate," Kakashi replied neutrally.

Gai flashed a smile in his rival's direction. He had wondered occasionally if there might be something between Kakashi and his former ANBU squadmate, Himura Taro. "She's a pretty girl," Gai said with a grin. It was about time Kakashi let some of his repressed youthful urges come to the surface.

There was a pause. Kakashi turned his head in Gai's direction. "Hmm?"

Gai fumed briefly but let it go. Kakashi would always be better at that revolutionary non-reactive reaction than the other jounin. The Copy-nin was a person who rarely showed what his true feelings were, while Gai rarely hid his. But they understood each other well, so Gai didn't take offense this time, because he knew that Kakashi was distracted and concerned without even having to ask. A portion of the concern obviously had to be for his students; the other probably had to do with Himura Taro.

It took nearly an hour of walking to reach the Himura estate. If they had been running, it would have taken just a few minutes, but Kakashi hadn't hinted that the matter might be urgent. Besides, it was only polite to have the injured member in the party set the pace. If Kakashi was content to walk, that was fine with Gai. Sensing that perhaps Kakashi just needed some time to think, Gai left the silence unbroken. Sometimes Kakashi just wanted company and not conversation.

Instead of talking, Gai took the time to enjoy the great forest outside of Konoha's walls. The majestic trees were some of the tallest on the continent. The early summer weather was just right for invigorating any youthful spirit, and the soft breeze played through the leaves, causing the shadows on the forest floor to shiver and change. It was a perfect day to train; Gai would have to round up his genin for an impromptu taijutsu session after he got back. The rest of the walk was filled with Gai devising the training regimen for that evening. Lee would love it.

They were nearly to their destination when the breeze shifted in direction. Gai took a deep breath and promptly choked. _That smell_ . . . It was a smell that Gai hadn't been forced to endure for a long time, but one that was forever engraved in his mind as one of the relics of the last ninja war Konoha had been involved in. All previous thoughts of training his team evaporated.

Gai didn't even have to look at Kakashi—they both knew what the smell meant. As one they broke into a run, Kakashi holding his left arm as steady as he could against his side. They covered the last meters to the Himura's clearing in just a few seconds.

They stopped at the edge of the clearing and took in the partially collapsed house and decomposing bodies strewn about the yard. Kakashi and Gai picked their way through the destruction cautiously. The bodies were bloated from the sun. Flies buzzed lazily, flitting in and out of open orifices.

Kakashi and Gai split up to search for survivors, but it was quick and pointless. Gai found Kakashi inside the ruined house, straightening what limbs remained on the corpse of a woman. The only identifiable feature left on the body was an ANBU tattoo on the upper left arm. "They've been dead at least a week is my guess," Kakashi said evenly, brushing a fly away from the ruin of a face. "Probably just before the Sound and Sand attacked."

Gai nodded as Kakashi straightened up. The Himura Clan, graced with a phenomenal sensing range and the ability to detect a person's emotional state, had always lived outside of Konoha's protective walls. Too many people made them uncomfortable; they avoided the village proper as often as possible. In hind sight, it was easy to see how their absence might have been overlooked in the last chaotic week.

"Orochimaru probably had them taken out first thing," Kakashi continued. He moved to the room's empty bookshelf and started examining it. "He knew that they would be able to sense his army approaching."

Gai looked about the room, his mind working. One of the corners was scorched black; ash stirred in the breeze. Had anyone in Konoha known about the deaths, the bodies would have been cremated or buried days ago. Shinobi of the Fire Country didn't leave their comrades to rot if they could help it. "They would have sensed strangers heading here," Gai added. A few scraps of charred paper fluttered along the ground. The fact that no one had noticed any of the clan members' absence spoke volumes of the disarray Konoha was in, and the small clan's isolationist tendencies. "A patrol of enemy shinobi wouldn't have worked."

Kakashi swept a finger across one of the bare shelves. "Whoever killed the Himura was known by them." He considered his finger for a moment and then shoved his hand into his pants pocket.

Gai contemplated the implications of Kakashi's words. "Then whoever did this was not someone they considered a threat." The whispers of the presence of a spy within Konoha had spread through the jounin ranks during the month long break between the second and third Chuunin Exams. Gai frowned, thinking about Kakashi foisting off Uzumaki Naruto's training onto Ebisu during that month. Even with two students in the finals, Gai had still managed to train them both, but Kakashi had shoved his only qualifying student aside for—what? Only something more important than the exam would have pulled Kakashi away, which probably meant a mission. But Kakashi had been in Konoha during that time . . .

Before Gai could continue that train of thought, Kakashi spoke. "We'll need a squad of medic-nin to identify the bodies." He sighed, and Gai could hear in that soft sound thoughts that Kakashi would probably never vocalize. Kakashi turned his back on the shelf and walked back towards Gai. "Let's go."

They ran back to the village, despite Kakashi's mending collar bone. Gai knew that it was causing Kakashi pain, even though the other man showed no signs of overt discomfort. And he also knew that any inquiries about his rival's health would be brushed aside. The trip to the hospital was silent, each man thinking his own thoughts.

-

Akira plucked the roll of ryou from the front of her abundantly-filled kimono. Immediately she began counting the bills. "I thought you learned last time that you're not paying to fondle me," she said with a touch of satisfaction. The Sannin might be a slow learner, but he paid well, which was what counted.

Jiraiya opened and closed his mouth, checking to see if his jaw was relatively undamaged. Perhaps she shouldn't have punched him—a well-placed slap worked just as well—but the news he brought her hadn't put her in the best of moods. For a woman in her early forties, she was just as strong—and desirable, which was the far more important attribute in her line of work—as any female two decades younger. Which was probably why the pervert tried to feel her up at almost every opportunity.

Jiraiya's jaw evidently worked well enough for him to speak. "This is more important than what you usually do," he said, perhaps a bit more gruffly than normal. Akira could detect a hint of a sulk behind the words. In her opinion, Jiraiya was still trapped in the mindset of an adolescent, and it showed, especially when he got snubbed by a member of the opposite sex.

Akira nodded, still counting the bills. Jiraiya had come to her, the owner and manager of more than a dozen Pleasure Houses, nearly a decade ago with an interesting proposition. A mutually beneficial proposition—large amounts of cash in exchange for information. Over the years, the money had allowed Akira to expand her line of work, until one of her establishments could be found in every major city in the Fire Country and even a few in the border cities of neighboring countries. It was an impressive network of disreputability and clandestine information gathering. A few hand-selected girls scattered about at different Houses reported anything of interest to Akira.

It was an impressive amount of bills, Akira decided, especially since it was an advance payment. She rolled the ryou up and tucked them into the sash about her waist. "Finding the Legendary Sucker shouldn't be too difficult," she said. One of the first places a male gambler, high off of winning, would head to would be one of her establishments. "But finding out why the"—she snorted—"'research' was tainted is going to—"

Jiraiya swore loudly. Akira only had time to shoot a surprised look at him before the white-haired shinobi disappeared in the cloud of smoke. "Ninja," she muttered, before exiting her office. It was about time she checked on the other customers.

-

There were times when Clan Heads needed to speak to their Heirs privately, without interruption. For the clans with land holdings—like the Nara, Inuzuka, and Tsuchiya, for example—it was much easier for the Head and the Heir to simply take a stroll through the woods than to secret themselves away in a hidden spot.

Tsuchiya Minagi had taken many of those walks with her father over the past year. Whenever Tsuchiya Hiro returned from one of the Clan Council meetings, he usually pulled her away from teaching the pre-Academy children and they walked through the clan's woods. Minagi knew her father never told her everything that went on in the Council, but he did tell her the things he could, asking her opinion on this matter or that one. It was all in preparation for when she came of age—just a few weeks away—and would be presented to the Clan Council as the one to take Hiro's position should he be unable to make it to a meeting.

The topic on today's walk was as confusing as it was disturbing. "He killed his clan?" Minagi asked, trying to fathom how it was possible. The Uchiha had been the second largest clan—second only to the Inuzuka—in Konoha.

Hiro twirled the stem leaf he had plucked from a low-hanging branch between his thumb and pointer finger. "That's what his accomplice said."

Minagi shook her head in disbelief. "But Itachi-san was dead." Minagi had been just a few months younger than the Uchiha Heir, but didn't know him well; Minagi had never attended the Academy.

"Presumed dead," Hiro corrected. "The Head's house was burned down; there were no bodies left to identify." He ducked slightly to avoid a tree branch. "The one survivor the ANBU did find—Sasuke, the younger brother—didn't speak at all. Gave the Council fits—he wouldn't tell us anything about what happened that night."

"So it might not have been Itachi that killed everyone."

"The ANBU investigation squad concluded that it was just one person who carried out the attacks." Hiro tossed the leaf he was fiddling with onto the dirt. "According to Gagami's sensei, Itachi didn't deny killing his family, but he denied setting the fire."

"It doesn't make any sense," Minagi muttered as she stepped carefully over an exposed tree-root. "Why would he . . ." she trailed off as her father came to a halt in front of her. "What's the matter?"

Hiro paused a moment longer, and then shook his head. "Just paranoid," he said with an attempt at a smile. "I thought I saw something." He resumed his unhurried pace.

"Probably just one of the feral cats," Minagi reassured her father. The Tsuchiya land had been home to over half a dozen former house cats for several years. They preferred the woods to humans but weren't above accepting the table scraps left out for them by the various Tsuchiya households. Minagi herself didn't care much for them; cats made her sneeze. "But if he didn't set the fire," she started, returning back to the original conversation, "then it must have been the younger brother."

"That's the conclusion that ANBU and the Council came up with," Hiro agreed. "But we never found out why. The boy disappeared not long afterward, and no one has seen him since." He ducked underneath a second branch. "In my study I have a few scrolls on the case; you can read them if you want."

-

Jiraiya was not an idiot, even though he'd been called one innumerable times. He had set his plan into motion the night before. But that didn't mean that the activation of the second jutsu didn't catch him off guard. He had thought that the Akatsuki pair would have waited at least a day after his and Naruto's departure. Anything less would have been extremely arrogant on their part or else spoke of a deadline they needed to meet.

It took just the briefest instant for the translocation and then Jiraiya was in the hallway outside the room he and Naruto had rented.

Naruto was down on one knee about four meters away, his back to Jiraiya. The two Akatsuki stood over him, the Mist-nin grinning fiercely down at the boy. Uchiha looked up from the boy in front of him. "Jiraiya-sama," he acknowledged. "I didn't expect you this quickly."

Jiraiya took a few steps forward to close the gap between them. He hated fighting in cramped spaces, but the location was out of his choosing. "Even an old toad has a few tricks the tadpoles don't know about." _Like using one tracking jutsu as a decoy for the real one. _There were no signs of a fight in the hallway, but Naruto was still kneeling, shoulders slumped. _Is he under some sort of jutsu?_

The Uchiha didn't respond although his companion's sword twitched. It looked like he had rewrapped the bandages that were torn freeing the sword from the bridge the day before.

Jiraiya stamped down hard on the fledgling fear threatening to get in the way. _What if they did something to the seal? _He had lived to an age few powerful ninja dared hope to reach. _What do they want with the Kyuubi?_ He was a living legend. _What did they do to Naruto? _He had been a student of Sandaime and the jounin sensei of Yondaime. _How can I capture them?_ There was no reason why he couldn't handle two children after a demon-possessed genin.

"Y-you bas. . ." Naruto's shoulders twitched. Jiraiya tensed as he watched the boy struggle slowly to his feet. With Naruto standing between him and the missing-nin, the boy effectively prevented Jiraiya from any long-range projectile attack. _Idiot boy, why couldn't you have stayed down?_ Jiraiya thought quickly, searching for some sort of jutsu that he could use to both protect Naruto and attack.

Naruto, however, had his own ideas. He brought his hands together in front of him. Immediately Jiraiya felt the boy's chakra increase exponentially. Red chakra started swirling around him, and Jiraiya regretted for the first time ever teaching the genin how to successfully call upon the Kyuubi's power.

In that instant, the perfect technique came to mind. Jiraiya brought his hands together and flashed through the required sequence. He'd save that boy from his own stupidity _and_ take care of two of the Akatsuki in one move.

"Too slow!" Hoshigaki's sword sliced the air just over Naruto's head. As suddenly as it had come, the demon's chakra disappeared. Naruto collapsed with all the grace of a puppet whose strings had been severed.

Jiraiya slammed his palms onto the ground. "_Ninpou gamaguchi shibari!"_

-

Tsuchiya Kusanagi was a light sleeper even in comparison to other ninja. So it was no surprise to him when he woke up in the middle of the night at the sound of a door sliding shut. He got up reluctantly from his bed and crossed soundlessly to his half-open door. It had been a hot night when he went to sleep and the open door in conjunction with his open window had created a nice breeze.

The sound had come from the direction of his father's study. _It's probably Minagi, looking over those scrolls again._ She had poured over them endlessly after dinner, and Kusanagi knew better than to ask her what she had found so fascinating in them. Those scrolls were off-limits to everyone but her and Hiro unless either disclosed the information personally. Not for the first time, Kusanagi was grateful that he hadn't been the first born child.

He padded silently down the hallway, intent on making Minagi go to bed. Light spilled through the gap under the study door and out into the corridor. The scrolls could wait until the morning, and besides if she kept rustling through them he'd never be able to get back to bed. This wasn't the first time Kusanagi had caught her reading in their father's study by candlelight.

He was about two meters away when he realized that the light coming from the study wasn't the gentle flicker of candlelight. It was too steady for that, more like his father's desk lamp. Kusanagi frowned. When Minagi was sneaking, she always used one of the many candles she collected. Was Hiro up late then?

He took the last few steps to the closed door. "Father?"

Instead of his father's voice, Kusanagi heard the clink of metal. He ducked just in time for a kunai to burst through the thin sliding door and bury itself deep into the wall behind him.

In one fluid movement, Kusanagi slid open the now-ruined door and dove through the opening. He just had enough time to take in the scene—scrolls and papers scattered haphazardly across his father's usually neat desk—when something hit the ground behind him.

Kusanagi whipped around and managed to bring his arm down in time to block a kick to his middle. _I didn't even sense him!_ The intruder was quick and good at concealing his presence, but Kusanagi was just as fast. He hadn't become a chuunin by riding on his teammate's coattails.

This time the kick came at his face. Kusanagi was ready, and instead of blocking, he ducked down and let the attack fly over him. In that same instant, he swept his own leg around low. His kick made contact with the intruder's foot and knocked the boy's support out from under him.

Kusanagi leapt away from the intruder and behind the desk as the black-haired boy hit the ground. The Tsuchiya boy knew he needed to end the fight quickly, before whoever it was used a jutsu that could put anyone else in danger. Kusanagi didn't have a single kunai or shuriken on him. But a Tsuchiya was never unarmed as long as there was a single sheet of paper nearby.

The boy got to his feet just as Kusanagi formed the final Dragon seal. _"Kami shibari no jutsu!"_ The papers scattered across the desk glowed for a second and then launched themselves at the other boy. The boy started to form a series a seals, but the papers wrapped around him before he could finish, trapping his arms against his sides and binding his legs tightly together. He held his balance for a moment, but ultimately tipped over and smashed into the floor of the study.

Kusanagi jumped back over the desk and approached the intruder warily. He heard footsteps rushing down the hallway and turned in time to see the concerned faces of his father and two sisters. "Someone was going through your study," he said, gesturing to the boy lying on the floor.

Hiro turned on the main light as he stepped into his damaged study to look the paper-encased boy up and down. Kusanagi took the time to study his beaten opponent. The boy had dirty black hair and eyes and was obviously struggling to break free of his bonds. Because of the Paper Bind he was in, really the only thing visible was the boy's neck and head. Kusanagi guessed that he was probably around Gagami's height, but it was hard to say for certain. "Never seen him before." Kusanagi said to his father. "Have you?"

"I'm pretty sure I have," Hiro said quietly, watching the boy try to break his way free of the paper imprisoning him. "I think this is Uchiha Sasuke."

-

_Author's Notes—_

_Happy now? _

_Gratitude, as always, to Kilerkki for betaing. Many thanks to Hikaru, gear, Lukita Ravenwing, iamzuul, and link no miko for comments and constructive criticism, which served as motivation for me to write this chapter._

_Extra love to gear, who drew two amazing pictures for me: sweet!Gagami and Sasuke (in a scene from _Anniversaries_). Be sure to check out the pictures at fifthgearlove dot sheezyart dot com or through my author profile. Additional love to Laz (timelapse dot deviantart dot com) for translating Paper Bind Technique _(kami shibari no jutsu)_ for me._

_Questions, comments, constructive criticism, complaints, etc., are welcome and wanted._

_-Phoenix_


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